Body heating means



A11g 24, 1965 s. P. sALURl 3,202,801

BODY HEATING MEANS Filed July ll, 1962 INVENTOR. S 1D. Sl 01?/ ,mm @@ff/@M United States Patent O 3,202,801 BODY HEATING MEANS Sam P. Saluti, 1033y 16th St., West Des Moines, Iowa Filed July 11, 1962, Ser. No. 209,126 2 Claims. (Cl. 219-528) This invention relates to body heating means and more particularly to an electrically heated, heating pad.

The use of heating pads using resistance wire as the heating means is old. In general, such heating pads consist of a 'pad structure of cloth, rubber, felt or the like, and in which is embedded the resistance wire which, in tp/rm is adapted to be electrically connected to a source uw, ot' electricity. Such common heating pads are relatively lightweight and are incapable of retaining heat for any substantial period of time after they have been turned olf. Also, they are not constructed so as to closely conform with or adhere to that part of the body which they engage.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of my invention is to provide an electric heating pad that will provide pressure as well as heat to that part of the body area being heat treated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a heating pad that will conform with the surface irregularities of the body area of which it engages.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an electric heating pad that will remain in a warm state long after it has been disconnected from a source of electrical energy.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide an electrical heating pad that is economical in manufacture, durable in use, and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my heating pad;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the heating pad, taken on line 2-2 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the device taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and more fully illustrates its construction.

There are many features of my heating pad that are found in ordinary electric heating pads. It has the usual pad body 10, the resistance wire 11 associated with the pad body, the electrical lead cord 12 operatively electrically connected to the resistance wiring, a prong plug 13 on the outer end of the cord, and a switch means 15 imposed in the cord line.

My invention, however, relates in general to the treatment of one or two ysides of the pad portion. Preferably I install at each side of the pad a flexible compartment holding granular or particle matter. If desired, only one side of the pad portion may have this material compartment, but in my explanation, I shall describe a compartment at each side of the base pad portion. To accomplish this I provide a cloth or like envelope 16 embracing the pad portion 10. Between 'one side of the pad portion and one side of the envelope 16, and between the other side of the pad portion and the other side of the envelope, I place the dry material 17. This granular material may be of any suitable matter, but I recommend that it be -of mineral nature, such as sand, metallic particles, mineral salts, or like. Sand is ideal, because of its cheap cost, substantial weight, and heat retaining characteristics. Certain vegetable and animal matter may also be used, such as grain, plastic particles, ground bone and like.

The arrangement of the resistance wire 11 within the pad 10 is recommended as shown in FIG. 3. The reason for this is that it permits the sewing of the two seams 19 and 20 completely through the unit as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. These two seams create with the side edges of the envelope and the interior pad, three chambers 21, 22 and 23 at each side of the heating pad unit, as shown in FIG. 2. These six chambers of the unit are each suitably loosely tilled with the particle matter 17 The separate closed chambers at each side of the pad unit serve several purposes besides the mere holding of the matter 17. They prevent the objectionable shifting of a majority of the matter 17 to one side of the pad unit. They maintain a more uniform thickness of the matter at each side of the pad body. They produce more possible flexibility to the pad unit so that the pad will conform to the surface being engaged by the pad. They produce even weight distribution over the pad unit area.

When my device is plugged into an electrical outlet and the switch turned on, the resistance wire will produce heat. This heat will transfer to the matter 17. Due to the mass .of the matter 17, it will successfully retain heat for an extended period of time. The weight of the matter will provide good pressure onto the surface of the user and thus the heating pad will be maintained closely `adjacent the body surface. The heat transferred from the matter 17 to the users body surface will be even, uniform and penetrating.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my body heating means without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In an electrical heating pad, comprising in combination,

a pad base body, said pad base body including an upper layer of llexible material, a lower layer of flexible material, a means for securing said upper and lower layers together adjacent their perimeter, a circuit of resistance wire passing between said upper and lower layers and being adapted to be operatively connected to a source of electrical energy, a layer of insulating material surrounding said resistance wire, a layer of heat conductive material between said upper and lower layers,

a flexible envelope embracing said pad base body,

stitching extending through both sides of said envelope and said pad base body creating thereby a plurality of sealed compartments at each side of the unit,

and a mass of low thermal conductive particles in each of said compartments.

2. In an electrical heating pad, comprising in combination,

a pad base body, said pad base body including an upper layer of flexible material, a lower layer of flexible material, a means for securing said upper and lower layers together adjacent their perimeter, a circuit of resistance wire passing between said upper and lower layers and being adapted to be operatively connected to a source of electrical energy, a layer of insulating material surrounding said resistance wire, a layer of heat conductive material between said upper and lower layers,

a flexible envelope embracing said pad base body,

said flexible envelope including an upper and lower layer of ilexible material with respect to said embraced pad base body,

stitching first extending through the upper layer of said flexible envelope, thence through the upper layer of said pad base body, then through the lower 1ayer of said pad base body, then through the lower layer of said flexible envelope thereby creating a .plurality ofs-eal-ed compartments at the upper and lower surfaces of said pad base body,

and a mass of low thermal conductive particles in each `of said compartments.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDVSTATES PATENTS 515,693 2/94 Nutting 219-529 1/00 Cheney 12S-399 5/12 Kulm 219-530 9/ 19 `Charles 219-528 X 12/22 Gingras 2l9-529 5/30 Bartik 219-528 6/42 Mitchell 219-529 4/ 55 Packchanian 219--529 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/ 35 France.

RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN ELECTRICAL HEATING PAD, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PAD BASE BODY, SAID PAD BASE BODY INCLUDING AN UPPER LAYER OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, A LOWER LAYER OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, A MEANS FOR SECURING SAID UPPER AND LOWER LAYERS TOGETHER ADJACENT THEIR PERIMETER, A CIRCUIT OF RESISTANCE WIRE PASSING BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWE LAYERS AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF ELECTRIICAL ENERGY, A LAYER OF INSULATING MATERIAL SURROUNDING SAID RESISTNACE WIRE, A LAYER OF HEAT CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER LAYERS, A FLEXIBLE ENVELOPE EMBRACING SAID PAD BASE BODY, STITCHING EXTENDING THROUGH BOTH SIDES OF SAID ENVELOPE AND SAID PAD BASE BODY CREATING THEREBY A PLURALITY OF SEALED COMPARTMENTS AT EACH SIDE OF THE UNIT, AND A MASS OF LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVE PARTICLES IN EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS. 